Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year


Dear Friends and Family,

We have had a wonderfully busy year this year and wanted to share with you the things we have been doing. As you will be able to see, we have done a lot of traveling which we enjoy.

In January, we went on a 12-day cruise to the Caribbean on the Holland America Koningsdam.

In February, we went to Myrtle Beach for the South Carolina Council for Exceptional Children’s Conference. We also went to Florida to Disney World.

In March, Pat spoke at the Converge Autism Conference about Tips and Tricks for Teachers. Then we did a spinning demonstration at the Bellfest Festival at Devil’s Fork State Park.   On Easter weekend, Natalaya, our young friend who is a student at Furman came to spend the weekend with us. We took her to the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiking in DuPont Forest.

In April we went on the Carnival Elation with Dyanna and Earl to Bermuda. Before coming home, we stopped at Disney World. Then we went to the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Smokies, but the rains came, and Don blew out a pair of hiking boots!

In May we went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival which was fabulous! Before coming home, we spent the day at Six Flags in Baltimore. The rest of the month, Dyanna came over a lot and helped me work in the yard and flower bed. Pat published a shawl pattern.

In June we spent 2 weeks camping in the Smokies and 1 week with Nancy and Ray at Oconee Point on Lake Hartwell.

During July Pat taught her Furman class which she teaches every year during this month.

In August we went to Disney again and it was so hot! Pat also published another sock pattern.

In September we went on 2 Caribbean cruises. One on the MSC Seaside and then the Carnival Conquest. Of course, we stopped at Disney again on the way home. While on the cruises, we negotiated a book deal with a publisher and Pat is writing a book!

October was a rainy month because Hurricane Michael hit. We didn’t have a lot of damage other than tree branches in the yard. But due to the weather, we had to cancel our camping trip to the Fiberglass RV rally. Pat also published another shawl pattern.

November arrived, and we went on a 2 week Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Breeze with Dyanna and Earl. We celebrated Earl’s 50th birthday on the cruise. Then we stopped at Disney before heading home.

Most of December was spent getting over the colds we caught at the end of the cruise. All of us caught the cold and other people on the ship did too.

So, as you can tell, we did a lot of traveling and cruising this year. We hope to do a lot next year too!

We hope this holiday season brings you lots of good health and cheer. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family!

Love,

Don and Pat

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash


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